Brethren,
As I write, your lodge is conducting an investigation for membership in our Great Fraternity; if found favorable we will be conducting the three degrees. The TB will have to be change to meet this obligation. 19 March for the Entered Apprentice Degree, 14 April for the Fellow Craft and 7 May for the Master Mason Degree.
Winter will soon be behind us and hopefully by the time you read this Spring will be peeking around the corner. Your lodge had a nice gathering for the Super Bowl game and plenty to eat. R.’.W.’. Vassily prepared his tasty Greek wings and every one else brought something to pass around. Our two out of town work commuters even stopped down. It was a nice night even though most wanted the Chicago Bears to win. Our JW Dennis Lagoe and your Master put on the spread for the first Monday this February. We have 5 March and 2 April 2 open for our esteemed First Monday Chef. Please call the JW 427-5031 to reserve your spot.
Our Chaplain W.’. Bill Schuetz will be hosting a Masonic booth at the Shrine Circus this year 30 March – 1 April. He will be looking for help; there will be 6 two-hour slots to cover during the event. For more details please call him at 457-8875. Brother Paul Killius’ daughter won an Ambassadorship to Australia representing Liverpool High School and the United States. She needs to raise funds to assist her with this travel. Any donations may be sent to the Lodge Secretary for this young lady’s assistance.
The Long Range Planning Committee handed in and read their report. This committee has put forth many recommendations for improving your Lodge. Many, if not all of the
recommendations, can be reached. This committee is made up of a mixture of seasoned and new Brothers, and their recommendations are well received. Improving the functions of your Lodge should be every Brother’s concern. I openly ask each of you to contribute at least one suggestion to assist in moving your Lodge into the 21st Century. I believe every brother who lives out of town or state can actively participate in the Lodge’s growth. You say how may I do this? One thing that comes to mind is the new program that I will dub the ‘501 Short Talk,’ and it may be done by proxy. You need not be scholars to put together a couple of paragraphs of Masonic Light to be read in open lodge on your behalf. The list is endless on what you may share. From those who research, to those who wish to share humble or humorous stories, the topics are endless. Your stories and research are very important to your Lodge, as are you, the Brothers. Your Lodge roster has many Brothers listed but lacks biographies for most of them. I urge you all to submit a Masonic Biography to our Secretary. You are part of the oldest Fraternity in the world. Let us place your time in the Quarry and family history in our vault of Brotherly Love. Feel free to contact the Secretary if you need some guidance with this undertaking; he had written many hundreds of pages on our Masonic District and his family history, encompassing over 60,000 people, plus a unique socio-biographical summary of all of the Grand Masters of England, Scotland and Ireland. We are fortunate to have a Historian such as our Secretary willing to record the life and times of your Lodge and its Brethren. Brothers it cannot be said enough: Teamwork is the cornerstone of all success whether in family or business; our Lodge without teamwork will come down. Andrew Carnegie said it well; “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. It is the fuel that allows common people to obtain uncommon results.”
Robert Bowles
Master